The Nessus Sphinx is a day-flying moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. It lives throughout the eastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and occasionally down into Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, and is one of the more commonly-encountered day-flying moths in the region, easily recognized by the two bright yellow bands across the abdomen.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 37-55 mm. Adults are on wing Aprilto July in one generation in the north and in two generations in the south. The adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Syringa vulgaris, Geranium robertianum, Kolkwitzia amabilis

Kolkwitzia amabilis

Kolkwitzia amabilis is a species of woody flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known in the US by the common name Beauty Bush, for amabilis, "lovely". The plant originated in Central China, where it was twice discovered, once by the Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Giraldi in Shensi and then in...

, Philadelphus coronarius

Philadelphus coronarius

Philadelphus coronarius L. is a species of deciduous shrubs in the genus Philadelphus, native to Southern Europe.-Cultivation:...

, and Phlox

Phlox

Phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and autumn....

.

The larvae feed on Vitis

Vitis

Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...

, Ampelopsis

Ampelopsis

Ampelopsis is a genus of climbing shrubs, in the grape family Vitaceae. The name is derived from the Greek word ampelos, which means "vine"...

and Capsicum

Capsicum

Capsicum is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its species are native to the Americas where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, but they are now also cultivated worldwide, used as spices, vegetables, and medicines - and have become are a key element in...

species.

Taxonomy

It was first described as Sphinx nessus by Pieter Cramer

Pieter Cramer

Pieter Cramer , was a wealthy Dutch merchant in linen and Spanish wool, and an entomologist. Cramer was the director of the Zealand Society, a scientific society located in Flushing and a member of Concordia et Libertate, based in Amsterdam...

 in 1777. This name was invalid, because Dru Drury

Dru Drury

Dru Drury was a British entomologist, one of the foremost of his time.He was born in Wood Lane, London. His father was a silversmith, and Dru took over the business in 1748. He retired as a silversmith in 1789 to devote his time entirely to entomology...

 had already used it for another species (Theretra nessus

Theretra nessus

The Yam Hawk Moth is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in Sri Lanka, India , Nepal, Burma, Thailand, southern China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, northern Australia and New Caledonia...

) in 1773. A replacement name was published in Benjamin Preston Clark

Benjamin Preston Clark

Benjamin Preston Clark was an American entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera, especially Sphingidae.His worldwide collection is in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburg....

in 1920.